


The Day The Gnome Garden Walked

by inkvoices



Series: Licorice Allsorts [23]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-21
Updated: 2012-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-09 14:56:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3253922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkvoices/pseuds/inkvoices
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rory tries to help a witness, the Doctor examines mud, and Amy asks stupid questions. For the prompt <i>gnome garden</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Day The Gnome Garden Walked

“Gnomes they were!” says the elderly gentleman a bit breathlessly and Rory takes his arm to lead him over to a bench where he can sit down, but the man shakes Rory off and glares at him. “Young man, I have lived through two World Wars. I am not cowed by garden gnomes.”

“Right,” says Rory, holding his hands up, “of course not.”

“Of course not,” the Doctor echoes. “Now then, what did they look like? Were they taller than your usual garden ornament? And were any of them carrying fishing poles?”

“Fishing poles?” says Amy.

“Shut up,” the Doctor tells her without looking in her direction. “Don’t ask stupid questions.”

Amy crosses her arms and glares at him.

“They were normal garden gnomes,” says the gentleman, “apart from the fact that they were moving. I can’t remember if any of them had fishing poles.”

“Hmm.” The Doctor spins around and crouches down to examine the muddy trail on the road with his sonic screwdriver.

Amy bends forward to look over his shoulder. If she squints she can see the odd tiny footprint.

“So, are you with Torchwood then?” the man asks, turning to Rory.

“Um, we’re new,” Rory replies.

“Good. That Scottish lad that comes down our way sometimes – Archie – he could use some help. Institutional help as well as some helping hands, if you get my drift.” He nudges Rory with his elbow. “Now there’s a chap that’d falter at the sight of all them gnomes marching up the high street. Last time we had weird goings on he fainted.”

“They’re not just garden gnomes,” the Doctor declares as he springs upright and Amy jerks backwards out of his way. “They’re garden gnomes that have spent a long time immersed in fresh water and at some depth. At least forty-five metres,” he adds as he checks the readout on his screwdriver.

“Oh, well then,” says the gentleman. “They’ll be from the lake.”

“We’re in the _Lake District_ ,” says Amy, fighting against rolling her eyes. “Could you be more specific?”

“Wastwater. Deepest lake in England. We get lots of divers leaving garden gnomes down there. I hear there was a picket fence around them and everything at one point.” He tilts his head and turns to Rory again. “There’ll be some leaflets at the Post Office, I’ll wager.”

“A gnome garden!” says the Doctor excitedly. “A garden of garden gnomes! At the bottom of a lake!”

The gentleman raises his eyebrows.

“Don’t worry,” says Rory. “He gets like that.”

“Well just you be careful teaming him up with Archie,” the man replies. “Some folks who get like that get even worse when they get together.”


End file.
